Friction lighter



April 4, 1950 J. LOWENTHAI. ETAL 2,502,864

FRICTION LIGHTER Filed Oct. l, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l lnuenlora Jullils Lonfenihal and Cecil A ttorneys April 4, 1950 J. LLLLL THAL ETAL 2,502,864

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII R ff g I EMM] Patented Apr. 4, 1950 FRICTION LIGHTER Julius Lowenthal, London, and Cecil Wilfred Moore, Leeds, England, vassignors to Colibri Lighters Limited, London, England, a company of Great Britain Application Qctcber 1, 1947, Serial No. '777,151 In Great Britain May 3, 1947 8 Claims.

This invention relates to friction lighters of the automatic type in which the spark-producing mechanism is operated to ignite the wick when retaining means, for the said mechanism, have been released, and more particularly to stands or holders for use in combination with such friction lighters whereby they may be used as table lighters, and to such combinations.

The chief object of the invention is to provide a stand or holder for a friction lighter of the type referred to whereby the lighter may be used as a table lighter without affecting its utility when removed from the stand or holder for use in the ordinary Way. A. further object is to provide an automatic friction lighter in which the retaining means for the spark-producing mechanism are adapted to co-operate with the stand or holder.

According to the invention, a stand or holder,

adapted to receive and support a friction lighter of the type referred. to, has an actuating member thereon arranged to engage with and actuate the retaining means for the spark-producing mechanism of the lighter, to release the said mechanism for operation. adapted to slidably receive the lighter, and the actuating member may be arranged to engage with the retaining means upon relative movement between the lighter vand the holder, either in the action of fitting the lighter to the holder, or removing it therefrom. Alternatively, the relative movement between the lighter and the holder may be provided by pressing the lighter furtherv into the holder, after it has been iitted therein, against the action of a spring. actuating member maybe in the form of a trip lever, so that. it will actuate the actuating member of the lighter upon movement of the latter in one direction only.

In orderI that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, two constructions of the holder and automatic friction lighters for use therewith, will now be more fully described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation showing an automatic friction lighter in position in one embodiment of the stand or holder, a part being shown in section;

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the upper part of the lighter and holder shown in Figure l, illustrating the method of Yoperating the lighter;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line III-III of Figure l looking up from the base of the lighter;

Figure 4 is a sectional View on the line IV-IV of Figure l looking down from the top of the lighter;

Figure 5 yis a side elevation showing another The holder may be i The 2 construction for the stand or holder, with an automatic lighter supported thereby; and

Figure 6 is a view of the upper part of Figure 5, part being shown in section, illustrating the iethod of operating the lighter.

Referring to the drawings, the lighter stand or holder illustrated in Figures l to 4, comprises a base it, and a casing H, secured to the base by screws l2. The casing il is open at its upper end and is formed so as to slidably receive a friction lighter indicated generally by the reference I3.

The automatic lighter illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 forms the subject matter of our co-pending British patent applications No. 17,114/46 and No. 17,115/46 which eventuated into Patents 612,903 and 612,904 respectively but with a small modiiication to the retaining means for the sparkproducing mechanism for cao-operation with an actuating member on the stand or holder, although the said modification does not interfere with the normal operation of the lighter. This automatic lighter comprises a body portion I4, which serves as a fuel reservoir and has a top plate i5 on which the spark-producing mechanism is mounted. A iiint i6 housed in a bore il, is urged by a spring I3 into contact with the serrated or otherwise roughened periphery of a iint wheel i9, rotatably mounted on a pivot pin 2l! extending between the upper portions 2l of the side walls of the body, above the top plate I5. Rotation of the flint wheel will, therefore, cause sparks to be thrown from the flint on to 'the end of a Wick 22 which protrudes from the body through a wick tube 23 mounted in the top plate l5, thereby igniting the wick.

A lid or cover 24 is also pivotally mounted on the pivot pin 20, and a sliding pavvl 25 is urged by a spring 26 into engagement with a ratchet wheel 2l secured to the ilint Wheel i9. The lid or cover is urged about the pivot pin 20, by a spring 28, into its open position as shown in Figure and the pawl 25 and ratchet wheel 21 are so arranged that the latter, and consequently the flint wheel i9, will be rotatedl during the opening movement of the lid or cover 24. The lid or cover also carries a snuder cap 29 which encloses the projecting end of the wick 22 when the lid or cover is in the closed position shown in Figure 1.

Means are provided for retaining the lid or cover 2li in its closed position, the means illustratecl comprising a plate 3D slidably mounted on the top plate l5, and carrying a hook member 3i adapted toengage in a hole or recess 32 in the lid or cover 24 when the latter is closed. A spring 33 is provided for urging ther plate 30 in the direction to maintain the hook member 3i engaged in the hole 32. To release the lid or cover so that it will he opened by its spring,

it is necessary to slide the plate 30 against the action of its spring 33, and for this purpose a serrated thumb wheel 34 is rotatably mounted on the wick tube 23. The thumb wheel carries a cam 35 which projects into a hole 36 in the sliding plate 30 and co-acts with one edge 31 of the hole 36 so that when the thumb wheel is given a partial rotation by engagement with the thumb, or engagement between a finger and thumb, the plate 3D will be caused to slide against the action of its spring, thus disengaging the hook member 3| from the hole or recess 32. That is the method for operating the lighter in the normal way independently of the stand or holder.

For operating the lighter as a table lighter when it is tted to the stand or holder, the sliding plate 30 has a T-shaped extension 38, at the opposite end to the hook member 3|, which extension 38 projects beyond the lighter body. The stand or holder has a vertical slot 39 formed in the end wall of the casing Il to slidably receive the narrow portion of the T-shaped extension 38, and a pair of projections 4U are provided on the outer surface of the said end wall, one at each side of the slot 39. Each projection 4|! has an inclined surface 4|, up which the arms of the T-shaped extension ride when the lighter is moved downwardly into the casing, and the `coaction between the T-shaped extension and the inclined surfaces causes the sliding plate 30 to be moved against the action of its spring to operate the lighter. A plunger 42 is slidably mounted in a vertical hole 43 in the base IIB, and a spring 44 urges the plunger' 42 upwardly. When the lighter is inserted in the casing the lower end thereof will engage with the plunger 42, the relative positions of the projections 40 and the upper surface of the plunger being so arranged that when the lighter rests on the plunger the arms of the T-shaped extension 38 will not be operatively engaged with the inclined surfaces 4| until the lighter is pressed downwardly into the easing l against the action of the spring pressed plunger.

When the lighter has been operated, it may be used while remaining in the stand or holder, or it may be removed therefrom for use. To facilitate removal of the lighter from the stand or holder, the upper portion of the casing Il has a portion cut away as indicated at 45. After use, it is only necessary to return the lid or cover 24 to its closed position, as shown in Figure l, to extinguish the flame, whereupon the lighter is again ready for operation.

In the embodiment of the invention described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, it will have been noted that the only modification to the automatic lighter was the provision of the T-shaped extension 38. While this modication does not affect the utility of the lighter independently of the stand or holder, it does have the disadvantage that the member 38 projects outside the lighter body. The embodiment illustrated in Figures and 6 is designed to overcome this disadvantage.

Referring now to Figures 5 and 6, the stand or holder, as in the previously described embodiment, comprises a Ibase I0, on which a casing is secured by screws l2. The casing is open at its upper end to slidably receive a friction lighter, the one illustrated being constructed in a similar manner to that described with reference to Figures 1 to 4, to which reference may be made for 4details not shown in Figures 5 and 6, and corre- Lil) sponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts thereof.

In this embodiment, the T-shaped extension 38, and the projections are not provided. For the purpose of operating the lighter, a trip lever is pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 5| extending between a pair of brackets 52 on one end wall of the casing The trip lever is urged, by a spring 53 about the pivot pin 5|, into contact with a stop 54 which bridges the brackets 52.

As best shown in Figure 3 the sliding plate 3|) is reduced in width at the end Where it carries the hook member 3|. This reduced portion or tongue 55 projects as shown in Figure 2 into a slot 5'! in a cover plate 56 between which latter and the top plate I5, the plate 30 is slidably mounted. The hook member 3| also projects through the said slot. The outer end of the tongue 55 is flush with the adjacent end of the cover plate 55 when the sliding plate 30 is moved by its spring to the left, in Figures 5 and 6 (right in Figures 2 and 3), for engagement of the hook member 3| in the hole or recess 32 in the lid or cover 24 as shown by dotted lines in Figure 5. In width, the trip lever 50 is the same as, or narrower than, the width of the tongue 55, and, when the lighter is in position in the stand or holder, the trip lever 50 and the tongue 55 are in alignment with one another. Also, when in contact with the stop 54, the trip lever projects into the path of the tongue 55 as the lighter is being inserted in or removed from the stand or holder.

In use, when the lighter is inserted into the casing l, the tongue 55 will engage with the trip lever 5U and rock the latter against the action of its spring 53. The tongue 55 will ride over the trip lever 50, after which the trip lever will return to its original position in contact with the stop 54, as shown in Figure 5. If now the lighter is withdrawn from the casing a cam surface 58 on the trip lever will engage with the tongue 55, and the latter will be moved to the right as shown in Figure 6, as it rides over the cam surface 58 of the trip lever which in this direction of movement is rigidly supported by the stop 54.

The movement thus given to the tongue and sliding plate 30 causes disengagement of the hook member 3| from the hole or recess in the lid or cover, which is thereupon free to be opened by its spring 28, and during this opening movement the flint wheel is rotated and sparks thrown on to the wick 22 as described with reference to the rst embodiment.

It will be seen, therefore, that after the lighter has been inserted in the stand or holder, it will automatically be operated to ignite the wick when itis withdrawn for use from the stand or holder. Further, the lighter may be used in the ordinari)7 way as a pocket lighter, independently of the stand or holder, and in this connection, there are no undesirable projections such as that present in the previously described embodiment.

We claim:

l. A stand or holder for a friction lighter of the type adapted to be automatically ignited when retaining means for the ignition mechanism is rcleased by an operating member, comprising a casing having an open end into which the said friction lighter can be slidably inserted, spring means in said casing and a cam member fixed on a side wall of said casing, said spring means being arranged to be stressed when said friction lighter is displaced longitudinally in one direction within said casing, and said cam member being disposed in the path traversed by said operating member as the lighter is displaced longitudinally within said casing, whereby said operating member will be actuated to release said retaining means.

2. A stand or holder, for a friction lighter of the type adapted to be automatically ignited when retaining means for the ignition mechanism is released, comprising a casing having an open end into which the said friction lighter can be slidably inserted, a trip lever pivotally mounted on said casing, and spring means urging said trip lever in one direction about its pivot to abutment against stop means so that said trip lever projects into the path followed by said retaining means as said lighter is being moved within said casing, Whereby said trip lever will engage and actuate -said retaining means to release said ignition mechanism on movement of said lighter within said casing in one direction, and upon movement of said lighter in the other direction, said retaining means will ride over and displace said trip lever against the action of said spring means without itself being actuated.

3. The combination of a friction lighter, of the type adapted to be automatically ignited when retaining means for the lighter ignition mechanism is released by an operating member operatively connected to said retaining means, with a stand or holder therefor, said lighter being slidable longitudinally within said holder, `said stand or holder having cam means for engagement with said operating member, said retaining means comprising a plate slidably mounted on the body of said friction lighter and catch means on said plate co-operating with complementary means on the lighter cover, said plate having a portion extending beyond the outer surface of said body for engagement with said cam means on said holder as said lighter is displaced longitudinally relatively to said holder whereby said plate is displaced and said catch means is disengaged from said complementary means, said ignition mechanism is released for operation, and said cover is released for opening by said ignition mechanism.

4. The combination of a friction lighter, of the type adapted to be automatically ignited when retaining means for the lighter ignition mechanism is released by an operating member operatively connected to said retaining means, Iwith a stand or holder therefor, said lighter being slidable longitudinally Within said holder, said stand or holder having cam means for engagement with said operating member, said cam means and said operating member being adapted to co-operate with one another when said friction lighter is displaced longitudinally relatively to said holder whereby said retaining means is actuated to release said ignition mechanism for operation, said holder being provided with resilient support means for said friction lighter, and said displacement of said friction lighter causing said co-operation of said cam means and said operating member being effected by pressure applied to said friction lighter in a direction to stress said resilient support means.

5. The combination of a friction lighter of the type adapted to be automatically ignited lwhen retaining means for the lighter ignition mechanism is released by an operating member operatively connected to the retaining means, with a stand or holder therefor, said lighter being slidable longitudinally within said holder, vsaid stand or holder having cam means for engagement with said operating member, said cam means and said operating member being adapted to co-operate with one another when said friction lighter is displaced longitudinally relatively to said holder whereby said retaining means is actuated to release said ignition mechanism for operation, the said friction lighter being detachable from said holder and the said longitudinal displacement of said lighter relatively to said holder comprising y sliding said lighter into said holder.

6. The combination of a friction lighter of the type adapted to be automatically ignited when retaining means for the lighter ignition mechanism is released by an operating member operatively connected to the retaining means, with a stand or holder therefor, said lighter being slidable longitudinally within said holder, said stand or holder having cam means for engagement with said .operating member, said cam means and said operating member being adapted to co-operate with one another when said friction lighter is displaced longitudinally relatively to said holder type adapted to be automatically ignited when retaining means for the ignition mechanism is released by an operating member, comprising a casing having an open end into which said friction lighter can be slidably inserted, and cam means comprising a member fixed on a side Wall of said casing, said member having a cam surface inclined relative to said side Wall and disposed in the path traversed by said operating member as the lighter is displaced longitudinally within said casing, -Whereby said -operating member-will be actuated to release said retaining means. l

8. In combination, a complete friction lighter unit comprising a fuel reservoir, wick and springbiased ignition mechanism; means to retain said spring-biased ignition mechanism in cocked position, an operating member adapted to release said retaining means, and a stand or holder adapted to slidably receive said complete lighter unit, said holder comprising a casing and a protuberance mounted on a side wall of said casing having a cam surface inclined relative to said side wall and positioned in the path traversed by said operating member and adapted to engage it when said friction lighter is displaced rectilinearly relative to said holder, thereby causing the release of the retaining means whereby to ignite the Wick.

JULIUS LOWENTI-IAL. CECIL WILFRED MOORE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the nle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,720,448 Segal July 9, 1929` 2,035,886 Holtzman Mar. 31, 1936 2,262,502 Kaupmann Nov. 11, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 154,483 Austria Oct. 10,1938 225,623 Switzerland May 17, 1943 441,816 Great Britain Jan. 27, 1936 699,213 Germany Nov. 25, 1940 

